Children of the Circle
by Kaykay1919
Summary: What if the Clave had never decided to sign the accords with the Downworlders and the bloody massacre that the Circle became known for never happened? What if Valentine's parents were never killed by Downworlders and the Circles only goal remained to revolutionize the Clave? What is Jocelyn and Valentine had stayed together and Clary and her brother were raised together?
1. Chapter 1

I threw my knife and watched as it flew shakily through the air before lodging itself in the bottom of the target. I groaned in frustration and Hodge laid a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Why don't you try again?" he suggested

Moodily I picked up another knife and watched as my brother threw his knife, it landed in the dead centre of the target. He picked up another one and I watched as he focused his green eyes on the target before pulling back his arm and throwing it straight and true at the target where it lodged itself beside his first knife.

Sebastian grinned and flashed a smug grin at Jace

"Beat that golden boy," he taunted

"What did you call me?," Jace fumed picking up a knife and brandishing it threateningly at Sebastian.

"You're aiming for the target not me," Sebastian said with a smug grin

Jace galred at him and muttered something under his breath before turning back to his own target. He drew back his arm his golden eyes focused solely on the target and threw it, the knife sticking right in the centre.

"Hah," Jace said with a smug grin folding his arms across his chest

Sebastian snorted, "you just got lucky that time," he said

"Is someone jealous?" Jace asked with a grin

Now it was Sebastian's turn to glare angrily at the other

"I am no such thing," he practically yelled

I smothered a laugh as their argument dissolved into a wrestling match on the floor and turned back to the task at hand. I copied my brother as I picked up a knife keeping my eye on the target as I pulled my arm and threw. The knife cut through the air and embedded itself on the border of the innermost circle.

I grinned and looked over at my brother who was still wrestling on the floor with Jace

"Sebastian," I called happily

Sebastian and Jace both looked over at me and Sebastian rolled off Jace rising to stand in front of me

"What is is?" he asked

"Look," I said proudly pointing towards the target

Sebastian looked over and grinned ruffling my hair, "Shot Clary," he said with a grin

I flushed in happiness at his compliment

"Yeah soon you'll be almost as good as me," Jace butted in with a smirk

Sebastian glared at him angrily and the two reverted back to their fight.

"Well done Clary," Hodge said and I beamed up at him

"What do you two think you're doing?" a self important voice asked and I looked over to see Alec standing over the squabbling boys

"None of your business Alec," Sebastian replied turning to face the older boy

"I'm the oldest here which means that I have to keep an eye on all of you," he replied glaring at Sebastian

"You're only 3 months older than me," Sebastian pointed out

"Well I'm eleven and you're still only ten," Alec replied sticking his nose in the air

"That doesn't change the fact that he's still only three months younger than you," Isabelle reminded him

Alec glared at her, "who's side are you on?" he asked

"I'm on the side of the truth," Isabelle declared to which all of the boys rolled their eyes

Before Isabelle could reply Hodge interjected

"Why don't we all get back to our training?" he suggested

The group began to disperse just as the door opened and Jocelyn walked into the room carrying a large tray of food and a pitcher of water.

"Hello," she said brightly

"Mum," I called happily running over to her and pulling on the hem of her t-shirt, "look," I said pointing to the target where my knife was still lodged firmly into the board.

"Wow Clary you've improved so much already," she replied with a proud smile before setting the food, water and cups on a low table near the door.

"Yeah Mum look at my knife throwing," Sebastian said pointing out his own target

My Mum smiled and ruffled his hair, "Your aim is just as true as your Father's," she complimented which left Sebastian beaming.

The other children in the room gathered around the table and Jocelyn turned to Hodge telling him something in a low voice to which he nodded and left the room.

"Alright remember now that the adults are having an important meeting in the Library so don't disturb us alright?" Jocelyn asked

We all nodded our heads which made Jocelyn smile.

She turned and walked towards the door but before she left she turned and fixed us all with a cool stare, "Remember that the weapons are off limits without adult supervision," she warned us before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

Sebastian grinned and began to eye up one of the knives on the wall but I slapped him on the arm.

"Remember what happened last time?" I asked referring to the time when Mum had caught him in the training room with a knife once the adults had left. She had dragged him out of the room by his ear and made him clean all the dishes much to the amusement of the other children.

Sebastian's cheeks went red and he muttered something under his breath before going and getting a sandwich from the tray of food and sitting down with the others.

I also took a sandwich and sat down beside Isabelle and Sebastian across from us Jace's younger sister sat down beside him and I had to remind myself that I wasn't seeing double.

Jace and his sister, Alia could have been identical twins if not for the fact that there was a two year age gap between them. They both had the same blond hair and wide innocent gold eyes that could charm any adult. They even had the same sharp cheekbones and flame of determination in their eyes.

"I wonder what the adults are talking about," Isabelle mused to the silent room.

To this question Sebastian grinned smugly, something which didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the group.

"What do you know?" Jace asked curiously

"Yeah tell us," Isabelle demanded

When it looked like Sebastian wasn't going to budge I jumped in

"Please big brother?" I asked widening my eyes a little and smiling hopefully at him.

Sebastian's smirk faltered and then broke into a sigh under the weight of my gaze

"Fine I'll tell you," he replied glaring at me

The others leaned in eagerly and Sebastian, realising that he now had everyone's undivided attention grinned.

"Well you see," he said, "earlier when I left the training room to go and get something from my room I stumbled across my Father and Luke talking. Naturally I hid and listened in,"

"What were they talking about?" Isabelle asked eagerly

"Do you really want to know?" Sebastian asked with a smug grin

"Just hurry up and tells us already," Jace demanded impatiently

"Alright, alright," Sebastian replied with a roll of his eyes, "they were discussing their plans to take down the Clave,"

"Really?" I asked, my eyes widening

"Yes really," he replied with a grin

"Wow that's so cool," Jace said with a massive grin, "is there gonna be heaps of fighting?"

"Of course," Sebastian replied

"I wish we could go," Alec said a little wistfully

"Father would never let you go," Sebastian replied with a cruel smirk, "you'd just get in the way,"

"What did you say?" Alec demanded angrily jumping to his feet

"Alec calm down," Isabelle chided him with a sigh, "honestly he's just baiting you,"

Alec glared at his sister but sat down anyway, "I wonder if they'll win," he thought aloud

"Of course they're going to win," I replied, "the Circle always wins,"

"Yeah," Jace agreed, "they always win,"

I listened as Valentine discussed his plans for the fall of the Clave a part of me feeling sick about what was being discussed. The Clave needed to be brought down, but not like this, I couldn't be part of the mass murder that Valentine was planning. I loved my husband and my children and all the other Circle members but I couldn't agree to killing innocent people just because they were in the way of our goal. I watched as Luke nudged Valentine and the two parabati leant their heads together to discuss something quietly. The other Circle members watched quietly not put out at all by the twos rude behaviour, they were use to it by now. I sighed and sunk down in my chair tuning out the conversation that was happening around me. My thoughts wandering to the children upstairs, I hoped that Sebastian had followed my orders and not touched any of the knives. I worried about that boy sometimes although I knew that Clary would be able to keep him in line.

I was brought out of my thoughts by an amused voice

"Jocelyn," Luke said again poking my shoulder none too gently.

I jumped and glared at him which just made him laugh. I scowled and looked away glancing around the library and realising that there was no one in here anymore.

"Where'd everyone go?" I asked blinking

Luke smirked and rolled his eyes, "the meeting adjourned five minutes ago," he replied

"Oh," I replied standing up, "where's Valentine?"

"He's upstairs," Luke replied

I bit the inside of my lip and leant against the table, "are we alone?" I finally asked

"Yeah, what's bothering you?" Luke asked

"Don't you think this plan is a little, extreme?" I asked quietly

Luke's eyes darkened and he looked at me for a long moment before replying, "We just have to trust Valentine," he said

"But doesn't this feel wrong?" I asked

Luke looked away, "It doesn't matter if it's right are wrong," he replied evenly, "it's for the greater good,"

"The greater good?" I asked angrily, "Does the end really justify the means?"

"It does in this situation," Luke replied his voice rising a little

"But there's a cleaner way to do this," I replied my voice rising as well

"Jocelyn just listen to me," Luke replied, "we just have to trust that Valentine knows what hes doing. I trust him and you should to, you're his wife after all,"

I opened my mouth to argue further but just then the library door opened and we both turned to see Valentine walk into the room. He looked between us as and I stepped away from Luke biting the inside of my lip.

"Is everything alright?" Valentine asked walking towards us his mouth turned down into a frown.

"Yeah we're fine," Luke replied before I could.

Valentine glanced between us before shrugging his shoulders and wrapping an arm around my waist kissing my forehead gently. I relaxed into his embrace sighing tiredly.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Valentine asked

"Yeah," I replied looking up to smile at him, "just a little tired,"

"You should get some rest then," he replied, "I can take care of the children for a few hours,"

"Really?" I asked grateful for his offer as I really was feeling run off my feet

"Of course," he replied with a smile

I nodded and glanced over at Luke who gave me a solemn nod which I knew meant that he wouldn't bring up the discussion we just had with Valentine. I smiled gratefully at both of them before pulling out of Valentine's embrace and leaving the dark library. Once out in the hall I leant against the wall closing my eyes tiredly. I didn't know what I was going to do about Valentines plan yet but I knew I had to do something.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi all thanks for dropping in to read my story :) Sorry I forgot to add this in the first chapter but, Disclaimer; I do not own the Mortal Instruments it belongs to Cassandra Clare.

"Are you ready Clary?" Sebastian asked. We stood in front of the stables, Sebastian holding the reins of his horse, Darby.

"Yup," I replied with a smile

"Okay then," he replied and motioned for me to step up onto the wooden block beside him. I complied and he helped me get one foot into the stirrups so that I could swing myself up onto the horses back.

I squeaked and grabbed onto the horn of the saddle to steady myself

"Are you alright?" Sebastian asked

"Yeah I'm fine," I replied shuffling forward in the saddle while keeping my hands firmly gripped on the horn.

"Okay hold on," he said and I moment later he had swung himself onto the back of the horse as well so that he was sitting behind me.

I pulled my foot out of the stirrups so that Sebastian could put his foot there but I kept my grip on the saddle horn as his arms circled my body to grip the reins.

"Are you comfortable?" he asked

"Honestly I'm fine," I replied with a smile

"Just checking," he replied as he dug his feet into the horse's side and we set off at a slow walk.

I laughed in delight as we walked out of the back gates where a group of other people on horseback were gathered.

Alia trotted over to us on her horse, Jace riding beside her on his own horse.

"Hi Clary, hi Sebastian," Alia greeted us waving

"Hi Alia," I replied with a smile

"You two took your time," Jace said with a grin, his comment directed at Sebastian.

Sebastian didn't reply and I knew that he had rolled his eyes.

"Where's everyone else?" I asked

"Isabelle and Alec are up front with their Maryse and Robert," Alia replied pointing to the front of the group where Isabelle, Alec, Maryse and Robert were all sitting on horseback beside my parents. Maryse had a baby nestled in her arms whom I knew was Max.

Luke rode up to us with Jace and Alia's parents, Stephen and Celine, on their own horses beside them.

"Are you four ready to go?" Celine asked smiling fondly

"Yup," Jace replied with a smile walking his horse over to his Father's side.

Stephen ruffled his son's hair affectionately, "we'd better get going then," he replied glancing at his watch, "it's almost eleven,"

"Alright," we all agreed and we walked our horses to the front of the group.

"Is this everyone?" Valentine asked

"Looks like it," Luke replied

"Excellent," Valentine replied, "we'd better get going then,"

Our group set off from the Fairchild manner at a trot heading towards Lake Lynn.

Sebastian and I rode near the back of the group playing a game of eye spy with Isabelle, Alia and Jace as we rode. Alec refused to join in saying that eye spy was only for little kids and instead engaged himself in a conversation with Luke. After a while the other children tired of the game and rode up to the front leaving us near the back. We rode in silence enjoying the warm sun and the peace and quiet. I looked down at Sebastian's hands as we rode and saw that there were bruises on his wrists peaking out from underneath the sleeves of his long sleeved t-shirt.

I frowned and touched the bruised skin tentatively which made Sebastian flinch back

"What are you doing?" he asked stiffly

"Did Dad hurt you again?" I asked

"He didn't hurt me," Sebastian replied, "he's teaching me how to be a warrior,"

I frowned but pulled my hand away letting the sleeves of his shirt fall back down over the bruises

"Maybe you should tell Mummy?" I suggested

"Don't tell her," Sebastian said sharply making me flinch.

Sebastian sighed and took one hand away from the reins and ruffled my hair affectionately, "I didn't mean to yell at you," he apologised, "just please don't tell Mum,"

"Okay I won't tell her," I promised solemnly

Sebastian relaxed, "thanks Clary," he said

"That's alright," I replied with a reassuring smile despite the fact that I knew he couldn't see it.

"Hey slowpokes," Jace taunted from in front of us a smug smile on his lips.

"Slowpokes?" Sebastian asked with a grin, "I'll show you who's slow,"

He nudged my side and I nodded gripping the saddlehorn tighter as Sebastian spurred the horse into a cantor. We rode past Jace and the front of the group despite the disapproval from the adults.

Jace who was never the one to be outdone by anyone, especially not Sebastian, spurred his horse forward as well and soon we were riding side by side.

"Hah you call this fast?" Jace asked with a smug grin, "I could match this pace in my sleep,"

"Well that's good because we were waiting for you," Sebastian replied in a cocky voice which made Jace scowl.

Sebastian laughed and spurred the horse on faster, "Lets see you keep up with this," he taunted over his shoulder.

I sighed and shook my head at their antics before focusing all my energy on not falling off the horse.

I was relieved when we finally made it to the lake and Sebastian helped my slide off the horses back. Despite how fun, and terrifying, the ride here had been I was glad to have my feet back on the ground. Jace had dismounted beside us and together we lead the horses away from the group to take off their saddles. We lay them on the ground and then let the horses roam free, we knew that they would return to us when we needed them. We turned back to the group and helped spread picnic blankets across the grass before sitting down beside my Mum and Celine.

Jace and Sebastian however moved away from the group to the shores of the lake where they began a competition to see who could best skim a stone over its surface.

I looked around as someone took a seat beside me and I smile brightly at Alia

"Hi," I greeted her

"Hi," she replied with a grin

"I'm so glad we don't have lessons today," I said happily

"Yeah me too," Alia replied with a smile, "the runes are too hard,"

I laughed, "they're not that hard," I teased

Alia glared at me, "hey you're just as bad at them as me," she sniffed

"I'm not that bad," I grumbled under my breath which made Alia laugh.

I smiled and watched as Sebastian skimmed his stone across the calm water of Lake Lynn. It bounced five times before disappearing beneath its surface. Sebastian smirked at Jace who glared at him and skimmed his own stone which only bounced four times before sinking.

I rolled my eyes as the two boys began arguing again

"Boys are so stupid," Alia muttered

I laughed and watched as Alec stalked towards them, glaring as he approached. Behind him Isabelle followed at a more leisurely pace eating a strawberry as she went.

"It's a wonder they haven't killed each other yet," I replied

"Yes it's a good thing I have you two to keep them in line," my Mother said reaching over to hand me a sandwich

"Thanks Mum," I said taking the offered sandwich and pulling open the bread to see what was inside.

"Don't worry I made sure that it's ham with no lettuce," Jocelyn told me with a smile as she handed another sandwich to Alia.

"Thanks Jocelyn," Alia said taking her sandwich

"That's quite alright," Jocelyn replied with a smile

"Would you two like a drink?" Maryse asked holding up a bottle of orange juice in offering

"Yes please," we both replied simultaneously

Maryse smiled and poured us both a cup before handing them to us.

"Shall I go call the others for lunch?" Celine asked the other two women looking nervously over at the group of squabbling children

"Yes that sounds like a good idea," Maryse replied, "why don't I go?"

"Okay thanks," Celine replied as Maryse stood up

Maryse grinned and brushed a few specks of dirt off her trousers before marching down to the lakeside her no nonsense face slipping on easily.

Alia and I shared a grin as Maryse gave the children a verbal thrashing to behave themselves before sending them up for food. All of them looked a little sheepish and Alec's cheeks were particularly red as they sat down around us.

I couldn't keep the smug grin off my face when Sebastian caught my eyes and he scowled at me which made me laugh.

The scowl melted off his face and he rolled his eyes in my direction before turning to get a sandwich from Jocelyn. Once he had a sandwich he sat down beside me and dug in. A few moments later Jace sat down beside Alia and finally Alec and Isabelle joined our loosely formed circle. The three woman had left the picnic mat once all the food had been handed out and had gone over to sit with the other adults. We ate in an easy silence all of us enjoying the momentary peace and quiet that we knew would not last once the food was gone. Sebastian stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth and swallowed it grinning triumphantly

"Hah," he said smugly, "I finished first,"

"No fair!" Jace protested through a mouthful of his sandwich, "you started before me,"

"Must you two turn everything into a competition?" Isabelle asked with an exasperated sigh

"Yes," both boys replied immediately

I laughed and rubbed the back of my head with a long sigh

Once everyone had finished eating Jace procured a ball from one of his saddlebags and we moved away from the adults for a friendly game of soccer. Isabelle even managed to rope Alec into the game so that the teams would be even. Sebastian and Jace of course, refused to be on the same team and so it ended up being Sebastian, Alia and myself against Jace, Alec and Isabelle. We played for hours and eventually Luke, Jocelyn, Valentine and Robert joined the game and it became adults versus children. The game was halted once the sun began to go down and we all trudged tiredly back towards our horses. While we played they had packed up the picnic baskets and blankets and saddled our horses for us. Without protest I allowed Sebastian to help me onto the horses back stifling a yawn as I gripped the saddle horn.

"Don't go falling off the horse now will you," Sebastian said swinging up into the saddle behind me

I gave a tired laugh and lifted a hand to rub my eyes

"I'll try," I replied leaning back against Sebastian's chest.

He smiled and picked up the reins spurring the horse forward in a slow trot. I tried to stay awake but the smooth gait of the horse was lulling me to sleep and my limbs were already heavy with fatigue from running around all afternoon. I looked up at Sebastian and saw that he was keeping half an eye on me

"Are you alright?" he asked when he caught my eye

"Mmm," was all I could say in reply my eyes drooping shut, "I think I'm gonna fall asleep…" I added

Sebastian laughed, "Don't worry I won't let you fall," he reassured me

"Mmkay," I replied sleepily and I drifted off to sleep cradled in Sebastian's arms.

Once we reached the manor I dismounted from my horse and made my way on stiff legs to where Sebastian sat on his horse, cradling a sleeping Clary in his arms. I smiled and tapped Sebastian on the shoulder to get his attention. He looked over at me with green eyes that were hazy with fatigue and offered me a smile

"Hi Mum," he said

"Hi sweetie," I replied, "Do you want me to grab Clary?"

Sebastian looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms and nodded his head gently shifting so that his arms were no longer wrapped around her sleeping form.

I reached up and took Clary in my own arms before giving Sebastian a hand down.

I turned and spotted Valentine talking quietly with Luke near the stable doors and walked towards him. Valentine turned to smile at me when I drew up to his side

"Can you take care of the horses?" I asked, "I'm going to put the children to bed,"

Valentine nodded, "Of course," he replied

I nodded my head in thanks and turned to see Sebastian waiting for me at the backdoor.

"Why don't you go and brush your teeth and put on your pyjamas while I put Clary to bed?" I suggested

"Okay," Sebastian agreed and turned walking into the house.

I followed him and we walked up the stairs together however when we reached the top we split paths, Sebastian going left towards the bathroom while I turned right down the corridor to Clary's bedroom.

Once I had tucked her in I turned off the light I closed the door before going to check on Sebastian.

He lay curled up beneath the covers sound asleep his breathing soft and his cheeks slightly flushed. I smiled and turned to leave the room shutting the door gently behind me. As I left the room I spotted Valentine standing at the top of the stairs his own eyes showing his tiredness

"Going to bed?" I asked

Valentine nodded, "Yeah," he replied, "I'm shot,"

I laughed quietly, "Alright I'm just going to make sure all the windows are closed," I said

Valentine nodded and kissed me on the forehead before moving past me and into our bedroom at the end of the hall. Once he was gone I walked down the stairs my stomach twisting uncomfortable. I didn't like what I was about to do but it had to be done, Valentine's plan had to be stopped somehow. I sighed and walked down to the library lighting a candle and making my way over to a massive oak desk. I reached into the draws and pulled out a sheet of paper quickly scrawling a quick note onto it before pulling out my stele and drawing a rune in the top corner of the page. Once I had pulled back my stele from the page the rune glowed brightly before the paper was consumed by fire and disappeared in a shower of ash. I let out a long shaky breath and leant back against the desk closing my eyes for a long moment. It was done now, there was no going back.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, I do not own the Mortal Instruments

I sat in the gard listening absently to the raised voices of the shadowhunters as they argued among themselves. In my hand was a piece of paper with a hastily scrawled message on it. I sighed and rubbed my temples, to think one piece of paper could cause so much trouble and confusion. Imogen had approached me as soon as I had got to work worry etched on every plane of her face and a small piece of paper clutched in her hand. She had explained to me that the note had arrived by fire message early this morning before thrusting the paper into my hands. I had taken the paper and flattened it so that I could read what was written on it. The four words that were written there made my mouth go dry and my heart to stop mid beat. I had re read it over and over before ordering Imogen to call a meeting. Even now the words still echoed in my head, The Circle is coming.

Who would betray Valentine? Who would put to risk everything we had planed? I scowled as I went through the Circle members in my head trying to figure out who would want to betray us. Maybe it was Robert? Everyone knew he was only in the circle for Maryse, but then again he wouldn't put her at risk like this by exposing the Circle's plans. The only other person I could think of that seemed reserved about Valentine's plans was Jocelyn but that was absurd. She was Valentine's wife and she would never betray him. So who was it?

I was going to kill whoever had decided to make my life difficult. My involvement in the Circle was a secret privy only to the other members. It was my job to curb the shadowhunters curiosity away from the Circle and to make sure that no action was taken against them. However my position as Consul allowed me only to do so much and I feared that this was a situation that would be too much for me to contain.

Finally Imogen seemed to have had enough of the arguments raging through the room and she stood up clapping her hands together. The whole room fell silent and even I broke out of my musings to listen to what she had to say.

"We all know that the main goal of the Circle is to reform the Clave," she began, "The Circle hasn't bothered to keep that much from us. We don't know how Valentine and his band of misfits intend to reform us but knowing that group I doubt it'll be anything good. If this message is suggesting that the Circle is going to move then we need to stop them. If they have decided that the only means to reform us are violent then we need to take measures to protect each other and that means acting now and taking down the Circle. Valentine is an ambitious man who knows how to manipulate others. We can't afford to allow him any more power than he already has,"

"But what if the note is fake?" a shadowhunter asked

Imogen frowned and I felt a frown tug at my own lips, fake?

"I doubt this is fake," I said standing up now, "however the only way to know for sure is to try these people by the Mortal Sword," I said wincing at my own words however I knew they were necessary. There was a chance I could manipulate the outcome of the trials to the Circle's favour and maybe if all went well I'd be able to give the Circle enough warning for them to be able to escape and avoid a trial at all.

There was a ripple of murmured agreement from the crowd and I glanced over at Imogen who was also nodding

"But if it is fake then what? There are some old families in the Circle and they have a lot of power. There could be serious negative repercussions from this," another person said

This comment sent a loud murmur through the crowd and I watched as the shadowhunters became divided. Imogen also saw this as well and she stepped in to try and quiet down the crowd but arguments were breaking out now and the noise level was steadily growing. I rubbed my temples and flopped down in my seat motioning for Imogen to do the same. For now we would have to wait while people decided what side they wanted to be on then we could have a real discussion. I had a feeling that we could be here for a few days. 

I woke up early the next morning yawning tiredly and blinking in the warm morning sun. The events of yesterday filtered slowly back to me and I smiled at the memory of Clary falling asleep in my arms on the horse.

I pushed the blankets away and swung my legs over the side of the bed standing up and pulling clothes from my wardrobe. I dressed quickly and combed my white blond hair away from my face with my fingers. I frowned as I studied a strand wondering where my blond hair had come from. I had asked Mum about it once but she had seemed as curious about my mysterious hair colour as I had.

I pushed the strand of hair away from my face and left my room padding quietly down the stairs. I took the long way to the kitchen passing by my Father's office and straining my ears for any movement inside. A soft thump caught my attention and I grinned moving over to the wall and pressing my ear to the plaster. Voices reached my ears but they were too muffed for me to be able to make out any individual words. I frowned knowing that I probably shouldn't be able to hear anything at all however lately I had found that my sense of hearing was not the only thing that had improved. I was stronger, faster and tired less easily and I was noticing some of the same changes in Jace and Clary as well, maybe even Alia? I pushed away from the wall and moved silently towards the door pushing my ear to the keyhole instead. Now the voices came more clearly and I could pick up a conversation.

"Who sent this?" I heard my Father ask

"I don't know," another voice replied which I immediately recognised as Luke's, "Malachi just sent a quick message he said that a council meeting was being called,"

There was a long silence and then I heard my Father say, "keep in contact with him and keep me informed of what they are planning. We can't afford to have our plans disrupted now of all times,"

"Of course," Luke replied

I pushed away from the door and crept silently back around the corner listening. Finally I heard the door opened and closed again and I heard footsteps coming my way. I cursed quietly and backed up to the stairs at the end of the corridor acting like I had just come down them. Luke saw me at the bottom of the stairs and frowned at me but I carefully schooled my face into a look of surprise

"Luke," I said with a smile

"Sebastian," he replied smiling as well, "you're up early,"

"Habit," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders, "what are you doing here so early in the morning?"

"I had an important message to give to your Father," he replied

"Oh has something happened?" I asked

Luke looked at me suspiciously but I masked my face into innocence and finally his gaze softened

"It's nothing you need to worry about," he replied

"Oh okay," I replied feeling a little disappointed

Luke nodded and for a moment I thought he was going to leave but something stopped him at the last minute

"Hey Sebastian?" he asked

"Yes?" I ventured cautiously

"What are you doing down here?"

"Oh," I said scanning my mind for an excuse, "I wanted to talk to Dad,"

"Is something bothering you?" he asked looking concerned

I shook my head, "no," I replied, "it's just that Dad had something he wanted to give to me,"

"I see," Luke replied, "well maybe you should wait until later today," he advised, "your Dad might be a bit grumpy right now,"

"So something bad did happen!" I exclaimed my eyes gleaming

Luke was taken aback for a moment before he laughed and ruffled my hair

"You're a smart one aren't you," he praised

I grinned and Luke returned it

"Well see you later," he said walking past me

"Wait you're not going to tell me?" I pouted

"I could," he said and my eyes brightened, "but then I'd have to kill you,"

I scowled at him and Luke laughed disappearing up the stairs. I stood alone in the corridor for a moment before huffing and making my way to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Mum was up and standing at the stove when I finally reached the kitchen. She was humming a lively tune under her breath and the scent of bacon and eggs made my mouth water.

She turned as the door closed behind me and smiled brightly

"Good morning Sebastian," she said cheerfully

"Morning," I replied studying her face for a moment

She looked happy but there was definitely an underlying sense of apprehension and worry in her stiff posture.

My brow creased and I wondered just what had happened between my falling asleep last night and my waking this morning.

I shook my head and sat down at the table watching as my Mother cooked.

"Did you have a good sleep?" she asked

"Yup," I replied with a smile

"That's good," she replied, "could you put some toast in the toaster?"

I nodded and opened the pantry to get the bread out of the bread bin. I put the slices of toast in the toaster and leant against the counter while I waited for it to pop.

"How many times have I told you not to lean on the counter Sebastian Morgenstern?" a voice sterny chided me

I jumped and looked over at the door to see my Grandmother, Adele standing in the doorway.

I stood up straight immediately my cheeks flushing a little

"Sorry Grandmother," I replied

Adele smiled and ruffled my hair as she walked past me to sit down at the table

"Top of the morning Sebastian," my Grandfather said as he to entered the kitchen

"Morning," I replied with a grin

"Mum, Dad," Jocelyn said smiling at them, "how was your sleep?"

"It was wonderful dear," Adele replied with a smile, "and yourself?"

"Fine," Jocelyn replied cheerily as she took the bacon and eggs off the stove and put them onto a plate. I took the plate of hot food out of her hands and put it on the table before returning to the now done toast and putting it on a separate plate before taking that to the table as well.

Clary walked blearily into the kitchen just as Mum was putting the cereal on the table and she grinned at Gran and Grandpa before sitting down beside me.

"Morning Sebastian," she greeted me with a smile

"Morning," I replied

"Where's Valentine dear?" Adele asked as she poured herself a cup of tea

Jocelyn's brow creased, "I'm not sure," she said

"I think he's in his office," I offered helpfully

"Alright I'll go and fetch him for breakfast then," Jocelyn decided before turning on her heel and leaving the room.

My Grandparents watched her go a crease of worry forming between both their eyebrows. So I wasn't the only one who had noticed the subtle changes in Jocelyn's behaviour. I glanced over a Clary who was haphazardly spreading jam over her toast and rolled my eyes. Trust Clary to be the only who didn't notice it, she could be as thick as a book sometimes.

I poured myself some cornflakes and milk and tucked in deciding to ignore whatever was wrong with Mum at the moment. There would be plenty of time for information gather later after all.

"So what are you two up to today?" my Grandfather asked

"We're training with Luke," Clary supplied enthusiastically

"That sounds fun," Adele replied

Clary nodded enthusiastically and I fought to hold back a laugh knowing that Clary wouldn't appreciate it one bit if I started laughing at her.

"Are the Herondale's or Lightwood's coming over?" my Grandfather asked

"Not today," I replied, "but I think they're coming over tomorrow for lessons with Hodge,"

"That sounds nice," Adele replied with a smile

The kitchen door opened and we all turned to watch as my Parents entered the room. Valentine looked tired with the beginnings of purple shadows under his eyes while my Mother looked a little nervous biting her lip.

"Morning Adele, Granville, children," he greeted us with a warm smile despite his obviously stormy mood.

"Good morning," Adele replied watching the two as they sat down together at the table. Valentine sat down beside me and I edged away a little having been on the receiving end of his anger before I was eager to keep out of his way this morning.

Adele's eyes flicked to me and I smiled innocently back at her and after a moment she looked away and I relaxed.

"Had a rough morning son?" Granville asked my Father

"You could say that," Valentine replied with a wry smile

My Grandfather nodded and wisely decided to let the topic rest.

Breakfast would have been awkward after that if Clary hadn't been there to fill the silence with her ramblings about what we were learning at the moment with Hodge and Luke and slowly the tense atmosphere evaporated. Even Valentine looked a little less stony by the end of breakfast, however I was still glad that he disappeared into his office soon afterwards. 

After helping Mum do the dishes Clary and I went up to our rooms to change into our training gear. Luke arrived ten minutes later and the three of us moved outside to go for a long run.

I enjoyed our training sessions with Luke, he was kind and less strict than Hodge and he let us work at our own pace. He taught us hand to hand combat as well as how to fight with swords and seraph blades however my favourite activity we did with Luke was hunting.

He would take us into Brocelind forest for a few hours and he would arm us with an array of knives and a bow and arrow each. The forest was always quiet as many shadowhunters didn't like to go there because of the presence of downworlders. We never went in deep ourselves but we always came back with plenty of rabbits and birds.

I sighed, we were suppose to go hunting today but Luke had just vaguely replied that he had something else planned for today.

"Did something happen with the Circle?" I asked Luke. We were taking a short break and Luke and I were sitting out of the midday sun under a tree while Clary sat a few meters away drawing lopsided runes on a sheet of paper.

Luke glanced at me out of the corner of his eye a smile pulling at the edges of his lips

"What makes you think that?" he asked

"Well Dad looks more tired and grumpy than usual," I said with earnt me a laugh from Luke, "and you promised me last time that we could go hunting today but you instead made us stay at the Manor because you want to keep an eye on the situation. Mum also looks worried about something and so do you and Dad for that matter,"

Luke grinned at me and ruffled my hair, "you're smart," he replied, "and observant," he added

"So will you tell me what's going on?" I all but begged

"You're also far too curious," he

I pouted and Luke rolled his eyes

"Curiosity killed the cat you know," he advised me

"But satisfaction brought it back," I reminded him with a smirk

Luke laughed loudly at that which made Clary turn around curiously

"What are you two talking about?" she asked

"Nothing," Luke replied, "Nothing at all," he added when Clary narrowed her eyes at us.

I sighed before a determined smirk settled on my face, if Luke wouldn't tell me what was going on I guess I'd have to find another way to get my information. 

Thanks all for reading :) Please send me a review and tell me how I'm doing I'd really appreciate it. Also thanks sharday lowery your lovely review!


	4. Chapter 4

The atmosphere in the library was tense the silence so thick it was deafening. I scowled at the wall as I paced feeling the weight of everyone's expectant gazes on my back. I turned and everyone's eyes immediately dropped back to the laps. I growled deep in my throat and took a deep breathe to calm myself before stopping my pacing to look at the Circle members gathered around the large table.

"Valentine," Jocelyn's quiet voice broke the silence.

I looked at her and she smiled at me although the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. I glanced at Luke and he nodded at me his mouth set in a grave line.

I turned to face the other members my eyes briefly meeting each of theirs searching them for any clues. Finally I began to address them

"Friends," I said although the word left a bitter tang in my mouth, "there is someone among us who wishes to destroy us and stop us from reaching our goals of peace and a better world. There is someone among us who would put all our lives in danger to help them," I spat the last word anger flashing through my me, "someone here has betrayed us, they wish to see us all destroyed, they wish to put our families in jeopardy!"

I looked at each of the Circle members seeing varying degrees of shock and horror on their faces but it angered me that there was no pang of guilt on anyone's face. My eyes came to rest on Jocelyn and she met my eyes sadness shimmering in their depths. I felt myself waver for a moment, I wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything was alright but I pushed that emotion aside, I had a job to do.

"I don't know who would want to betray us and to be honest I never thought it would come to this," I continued once I had regained my composure, "I trusted all of you. Every single person in this room and it pains me to think that such a trust could be broken. Despite this we set back we need to push on and move forward. The Clave no doubt will react with violence however knowing them we probably have another couple of days before they come to any kind of decision. We shall have enough time to make sure that our children and elderly are safe and then we shall meet the Clave head on and fight for our cause. We were going to face them in battle anyway it is just a shame that we have lost our element of surprise," I looked around the room and watched as a confidence settled over the members faces, a smirk tugged on the edges of my lips as I continued, "To win this battle I need every single one of you behind me. I will need your support, your courage and your strength. You blade shall be mine and we will protect what is ours and reform what is twisted together!"

I finished my little speech and grinned around at the Circle members my eyes glowing with the promise of action. Around my the Circle members own eyes were lighting up to and slowly the tension bled out of the room until all that was left was an easy confidence.

Luke stood up and clapped me on the shoulder and I shot him a smug smile. On my other side Jocelyn smiled up at me although the sadness still lingered behind her eyes.

"Now then," Luke said facing the Circle members once again, "it is time to plan,"

I sat on the floor in Sebastian's room waiting for the meeting that he had called to begin. I scowled at him from where he was seated on his bed with Clary at his side and he grinned back at me. I looked away and instead watched as Alec came and sat down beside me.

"Hey Jace," he greeted me with a smile and a wave of his hand

"Hi," I replied returning his smile with a grin

Isabelle sat down beside Alec and I noticed that she had Max nestled in her arms.

"Why'd you bring him?" I asked eying the baby

Isabelle rolled her eyes

"One," she said, "he's adorable and two Mum asked me to look after him while she's at the meeting,"

"Actually Mum asked me to look after Max," Alec corrected her with a huff

"Actually she asked us both," Isabelle replied with a glare at her older brother

I turned away from the squabbling siblings and watched as the door opened slowly and Jonathan Wayland poked his head inside glancing around nervously

"Hi Jonathan," Clary greeted him standing and pulling the older boy inside the room

"Hi Clary," Jonathan replied a little nervously

Clary directed him to a couch before shutting the door and looking around at our small gathering

"Is that everyone?" she asked

Sebastian nodded, "should be," he replied

"Where's Alia?" Clary asked looking at me for answers

I shrugged my shoulders, "she stayed at home but she promised Mum and Dad that she's be over in a bit," I replied with a frown

"Your parents were alright with that?" Isabelle asked curiously

"They were in a hurry," I replied with a shrug of my shoulders, "they looked worried about something,"

Sebastian grinned at that comment and I narrowed my eyes suspiciously at him. Sebastian shrugged in response and I rolled my eyes sitting back.

Clary led Jonathan to an armchair and he sunk down onto it gratefully, Alec and Isabelle offered him a smile and a wave and he returned both gestures. I myself frowned and studied the other boy. We were about the same age but he didn't come round very often because of some sickness or something. We had never really bonded with him the same way we had with each other and he was often very much an outsider whenever he didn't come round despite our best efforts to include him.

Our eyes met and I smiled before looking back at Sebastian

"So tell us oh great and fearless leader why have you called us here?" I asked sarcastically

Sebastian rolled his eyes but took this question as his cue to start the meeting

"I have stumbled upon some rather interesting information," he told the group with a dangerous glint in his eye that I was not liking one bit, "something has thrown the adults into a state of panic and I know that I myself don't appreciate being left in the dark,"

"Don't tell me you want us to go on another one of your spy missions," I groaned despite the fact that I loved Sebastian's spy missions

"Oh but we all know that you love my spy missions," Sebastian replied with a smirk

"What did you find out?" Isabelle asked interrupting us before we got into another argument

"Not much," Sebastian admitted, "although I know it definitely has something to do with our parents plans to overthrow the Clave,"

"What happened?" Alec asked his brow furrowing

"I don't know," Sebastian replied, "and this is why we need to collect some information,"

Clary frowned and turned so that she could better see her brother, "What could have got them so worked up?" she asked

"Something's obviously gone wrong," Sebastian mused with a feral grin, "Something my Father never planned for,"

"I bet someone turned traitor," I mused darkly

"What makes you say that?" Isabelle asked with a shocked gasp, "no one would ever betray the Circle. We're a family,"

Sebastian rolled his eyes at the sentiment, "it was just an idea," he said although I could tell he was mulling it over in his mind

"That's something Valentine would never plan for," I reasoned as well making Isabelle glare at me.

"But who?" Alec asked, "I thought everyone in the Circle was loyal,"

"Now, now we can't go jumping to conclusions unless we have evidence," Sebastian told us, "I say we split up and look for clues around the house while the parents are still in their meeting,"

"Good idea," Isabelle agreed

"Hold on a second!" Alec cried looking alarmed, "we can't just go looking through our parents stuff and digging into their business,"

Sebastian shrugged a smirk playing across his lips

"If you don't want to join in then sit out," he advised, "although if I were you I'd keep my mouth shut about this whole business," he said a murderous glint in his eye

Alec drew back then seemed to regain his composure to glare at Sebastian

"Of course I'm in," he said with an indignant sniff

Sebastian nodded his head, "good," he said, "in that case Jace and I will search Valentine's office,"

"Izzy and I will search Mum's," Clary chirped from beside Sebastian looking every bit as excited as her brother

"Fine then," Alec muttered, "Jonathan and I will go search Luke's,"

Sebastian nodded his head, "let's go," he said

Just as we were standing up Alia burst through the door panting and looking very pleased with herself

"Alia?" I asked in surprise moving forward to her side, "what took you so long?"

Alia grinned and held up a note, "this," she said sounding extremely smug

Everyone moved closer and I plucked the paper out from between her fingers. As I read it my eyes widened and I allowed Sebastian take it from me.

"My, my," Sebastian practically cooed

"What is it?" Clary asked impatiently

"It's a note," Sebastian replied

"I can see that," Clary huffed, "what does it say?"

"Not much," Sebastian admitted, "but it's enough,"

I watched as Clary's face went red with frustration at her brother, "Sebastian," she said in a threatening tone

Sebastian laughed and held up his hands in mock surrender

"Okay don't eat me," he defended

Clary bared her teeth at him and I choked back a laugh

"It says," Sebastian finally said, "the Circle is coming,"

Clary blinked, "what does that mean?" she asked sounding confused

Sebastian and I grinned sharing a look

"It means," Alec said, "that someone turned traitor,"

"What!" Clary all but yelled, "How do you know that?"

"This is obviously a very cryptic warning," Sebastian explained, "and just as obviously for another party,"

"So you're saying that this note is for someone outside the Circle and is a warning?" Isabelle asked

"Precisely," Sebastian said with a satisfied grin

"Where did you find this?" I asked

"Well before Mum and Dad left I saw them receive a fire message," she said with a grin, "two actually,"

"Where's the other?" Clary asked

"It wasn't important it just read, meeting," Alia replied, "the second message though made them both go white, they looked really scared so I decided to stick around and see if I could find anything else out about it,"

"So that's why you stayed at home instead of coming with us," Jace put together

Alia nodded, "once you guys were out of the way I snuck back into the office and found the note. Mum and Dad had left in such a rush that they completely forgot about them and just left them on the desk,"

"No wonder," Alec said, "this message is serious,"

"I still can't believe someone would do that," Isabelle said sounding shocked

I rocked back on my heels to think about it, who in the Circle would turn traitor? It didn't make any sense why would they do it? Why would they put all of us in danger? I frowned and noticed that the room had gone quiet while the rest of the children contemplated what we had just learn as well. I glanced at Sebastian and he grinned at me flashing his teeth. I rolled my eyes, only Sebastian could be able to enjoy this. I wondered what we should do now, no doubt this was what all the meeting was about. We needed more information though, a stubborn part of me still refused to accept that someone in the Circle would turn traitor. It just didn't seem right, we were a family and family members don't turn on other family members. I glanced at my sister and saw that she too was lost in thought. I wouldn't ever hurt my sister and I would never betray her either. Neither would I betray my other siblings, not Clary or Sebastian, Alec, Isabelle or even Jonathan. I just couldn't understand how this could happen.

"Well then," Sebastian said breaking me out of my thoughts, "we still need more information so we should split up in our already assigned groups," he said

I nodded my head, "the adults will probably continue their meeting for another hour at least," I assumed glancing at Sebastian who nodded his agreement

"So to be on the safe side we'll meet back here in forty minutes," Clary concluded

Sebastian grinned and draped an arm across Clary's shoulders

"I like the way you think," he said

Clary rolled her eyes and pushed Sebastian away, "get going you," she muttered with a smile

Sebastian grinned and took my arm, "come on Blondie, "he said dragging me from the room, "we have work to do,"

I growled at the jibe but followed after him, shaking my arm out of his grip. After all I was just as determined to get to the bottom of this as he was.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments

I ran over the Circle members in my head one more time trying to figure out just who would betray me. However my mind just kept drawing blanks as to who it might be. It was frustrating and I feared that all my hair would be grey by the end of this ordeal.

I growled loudly and hit the wall with my hand making a picture frame shudder and threatened to fall off the wall. Who was it? Why would they betray me? Is it possible that information could have been leaked to an outer source who passed it onto the Clave?

The questions refused to leave my head and it was driving me insane.

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Luke standing at my shoulder smiling wryly.

"Valentine," he said softly his voice tinged in concern

I looked up and realised that my hand was clenched tightly in a fist and buried in the wall.

Sighing heavily I tugged my hand out of the hole and smiled apologetically at him

"Sorry I'm just stressed," I admitted.

The meeting had ended half an hour ago and since then I had been wandering the halls aimlessly. For the first time I looked at my surroundings and found that I was in the corridor leading to the basement stairs.

Luke laughed, "I don't doubt it," he said running a hand through his hair.

Looking at Luke I realised that this situation was affecting him just as badly as me. There were dark circles under his eyes and his shirt was crumpled. His usually neat hair was tousled and the usual light that was in his eyes was replaced by something deeply troubled.

"How are you holding up?" I asked

Luke looked mildly surprised at the question

"I'm fine," he replied, "but knowing that everything we've worked for could just come tumbling down on us any moment is enough to fray anyones nerves,"

I nodded and closed my eyes thinking for a long moment

"We need to get the children out of here," I said tiredly

Luke nodded, "but how? And when?" he asked

"Tonight," I said, "It has to be tonight,"

"Why tonight?" Luke asked confusion evident in his voice

"The house should be in Germany right now it'll be close enough to get the children there and if we don't get there soon it's going to move," I explained

Luke nodded his understanding, "So aside from Clary and Sebastian who else will I be taking?"

"Jonathan and Alia," I replied

"Not any of the Lightwood kids?" he asked

"You know Maryse," I replied tiredly, "she won't even hear of me taking her kids away even if it is for their own good,"

Luke laughed at that, "too true," he replied with a smile

I nodded and began to walk away from the basement door and up the stairs, Luke quickly falling into step beside me.

His presence was reassuring and talking to him helped me focus my thoughts. It would be a hard few days without him but he was the only one I trusted to get the children where they needed to be safely.

As if sensing my thoughts Luke turned to me and smiled

"Don't worry," he said, "i'll protect them with my life,"

"I know you will," I replied and pushed open the door into the corridor.

We walked down the corridor and up the stairs into Sebastian's room. To our surprise we found all of the children there, including the Lightwoods. when we entered all the children looked round and out of the corner of my eye I saw Sebastian pushing a scrap of paper into his boot. I looked at him suspiciously but he just smiled sweetly at me. Ignoring him for now I turned my attention back to the Lightwoods who sat together, Isabelle cradling Max in her arms.

"Your parents are waiting for you in the library," I told them

They nodded their understanding and stood up saying a quick goodbye to their friends and ducking out of the room.

Jonathan and Alia stood up to leave as well but I stopped them with a wave of my hand

"You two stay here for a moment longer," I told them

They nodded obediently and sat down again Alia moving to sit down beside Clary and Jonathan taking a seat beside Sebastian.

I glanced at Luke and silently begged him to do the talking. I couldn't handle children right now and I knew that if I snapped it would make them hesitant to obey me. Luke and his gentle demeanor seemed to have a way of inspiring the children in a way I couldn't.

"Alright guys you're all going on a bit of a road trip with Uncle Luke," he said crouching down and smiling at him

"What do you mean?" Clary asked

"Listen we're just going to be taking a few days to have a bit of fun and relax. Everyone's a bit stressed at the moment and a little holiday will go a long way to help everyone," he explained patiently

Clary and Alia cheered at the prospect but Sebastian didn't look at all convinced.

He muttered something under his breath and Jace cocked his head grinning at whatever it was that he had just said. Glaring at them in my frustration I tapped Luke on the shoulder twice to signify that he had two minutes to convince the children to go before spinning on my heel and stalking out of the room.

I watched Dad leave the room and then looked across at Sebastian who was grinning like he had won some sort of contest. I rolled my eyes and turned my attention back to Luke who, despite himself, was grinning just as broadly as Sebastian.

"So are you going to tell us the real reason for this 'holiday'?" Sebastian asked raising an eyebrow

Luke's grin stretched wider, "Of course not," he said

I giggled at Sebastian's annoyed expression until he glared at me

"I know you just want us out of your hair for when you go to battle with the Clave," he muttered darkly

"Well that's one part of it," Luke admitted turning more serious

"What's the other part?" I asked

"Your parents really do want you to be safe but they also want you to have some time out of your studies as well. Travel a little bit," he explained sincerely

"That sounds like fun," Alia said with a smile, "I wanna go,"

Luke grinned, "What about you Clary?" he asked, "are you up for a bit of an impromptu holiday?"

"Yeah," I agreed enthusiastically

He smiled at me and turned to face the two boys who shared as sceptical look. Finally Jace nodded

"Fine," he said a small smile on his lips, "I'll go,"

Sebastian let out a heavy sigh and we all turned to face him

"Yeah whatever I'll go," he agreed sounding exasperated

We cheered and Luke nodded his appreciation

"That's good," he said

"So when do we leave?" Alia asked

"Right now," Luke grinned

Hi guys sorry for the really late update! I've been quite busy at the moment with holidays and camps and haven't found much time to write. I apologise.

Also If you were confused about the way I switched between the use of Jace and Jonathan in this chapter it is because the children use his nickname Jace and the adults refer to him as Jonathan. This is the reason why I decided to call Jonathan Morgestern, Sebastian as it would have been confusing having two Jonathans :)

Thanks for reading and I apologise for the lateness and shortness.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Mortal Instruments

Clary's P.O.V

Once Luke had convinced everyone to go I scrambled off to my room to pack, excitement thrumming through me. I bounced around my room hastily throwing clothes and other necessities into my duffel bag. Luke said that we should only pack what we needed and I found myself quickly torn between taking my teddy bear or leaving it behind. After a long moment of deliberation I sighed and tucked it safely under my pillow. Dad hated that teddy bear saying that warrior didn't have cuddly toys. Mum just glared at him angrily every time the subject came up and told him that it was perfectly normal for a child my age to have a teddy bear. Eventually Dad had given up on the argument entirely although he still shot it venomous looks whenever he saw me with it.

With a carefree shrug I took one last glance around my room before shouldering my pack and bounding out the door to Sebastian's room. He was packing at a much steadier pace and looked up at me when I came in.

"Done already?" he asked raising an eyebrow

I nodded my head enthusiastically, "yup I'm all ready to go," I replied

Sebastian smiled and put a knife on the top of his pack before closing it and swinging it over his shoulders.

"We better get going then," he said ruffling my hair as he walked past me out of the room

I huffed in indignation and vainly tried to flatten my unruly hair with my hands a long suffering sigh escaping my lips.

Sebastian's lips quirked into a smile at my efforts and I couldn't help but grin back. We made our way down the stairs and Sebastian sat me in the kitchen.

"What are we doing in here?" I asked as Sebastian moved over to the pantry and pulled out a loaf of bread.

"Jace and Alia have to go back to their house to get their things so they'll probably be a while. Since we have time we may as well eat something," he explained as he cut a few slices of bread and smothered them in jam and butter.

"Oh," I replied in a show of understanding

Sebastian rolled his eyes and moved over to where I was standing by the table handing me a slice.

"Thanks," I said with a smile before taking a massive bite

Sebastian grinned, "you're welcome," he replied

We ate in an easy silence, both of us content to sit lost in our thoughts. Once I had stuffed the last of the bread into mouth I sat back to wait for Sebastian to finish who was consuming his bread at a much more leisurely pace.

Just as he was finishing the door opened and my Grandparents entered the room their eyes settling on Sebastian and I.

"Hello," I chirped happily as Sebastian added his own nod of greeting

"Evening," my Grandfather said amiably, "I heard you two are going on a holiday,"

"More like Dads trying to get us out of the way," Sebastian muttered quietly

I giggled, "Yes that's right," I said to answer my Grandfather's question

Granville smiled and walked forward with the help of his cane stopping just in front of me.

"Take this then," he said holding out a rectangular package about the length of my forearm

"Thanks Grandad," I said with a massive smile taking the package from his outstretched hand and unwrapping the brown paper. Sebastian leaned over my shoulder curiously as a plain wooden box was revealed. Tentatively I opened the lid and gasped as I took in the beautiful knife that lay inside. It was just shorter than the length of my forearm with worn, black leather wrappings around the handle. The hilt was black and the silver blade was decorated with patterns of stars. The edge gleamed wickedly in the dim light of the kitchen and when I picked it up I found that it was also well balanced.

"It's beautiful," I said softly

My Grandfather nodded his agreement but this time it was my Grandmother who spoke.

"Look after it well child," she said with a hint of a smile in her voice, "that knife has served generations of Morgensterns,"

"I will," I said nodding fervently

"Good," my Grandfather said approvingly, "I'm sure your brother will help you if you need it,"

Sebastian nodded and my Grandmother smiled at us both

"Have a good trip," she said before both of them left the room

We watched them go and then I turned to Sebastian

"What do you think?" I asked

He grinned and came round to stand in front of me taking my forearm and a leather holster that was also in the box. Carefully he strapped the blade to my forearm and tugged the sleeve of my jacket over it.

"It's perfect," he assured me with a smile

"Thanks Sebastian," I said with a smile muffling a yawn with the back of my hand

Sebastian rolled his eyes and took my other arm pulling me out of the kitchen

"Come on," he said, "we don't need you falling asleep,"

Grinning sheepishly I followed him out of the back door to the stables where he lit a lamp and moved over to his horse.

"Luke suggested that we take only one horse," he told me as he began to saddle his horse

"Okay," I agreed moving over to help him

The activity helped fend the sleep away and when Jace and Alia arrived back with Luke Sebastian and I were all ready to go.

"So where exactly are we going?" I asked Luke as we left the manor at a gentle trot

"We're going to Germany," he said with a smile

"Germany?" I asked in surprise

Luke nodded, "your Father has a house there," he explained

"Oh I didn't know that," I replied with a smile

"Neither did I until this morning," Luke replied with a grin

I saw Jace roll his eyes and shared a smile with Alia as we hit the moonlit cobblestone road out of Idris and the horses were spurred into a gallop.

Jace's P.O.V

I rode beside Sebastian and Clary with Alia nestled in my arms. She was beginning to drift off to sleep and I found myself wanting to do the same thing, however I forced myself to keep my eyes open and on the road ahead of me where Luke was riding.

He promised us that we would be able to stop once we reached the outskirts of Idris and rest before we made our way into Germany. I had never been to Germany before despite it being on the border of Idris and I was curious as to what the country would be like. We were almost at the border when Luke stopped dead in his tracks pulling hard on his reins and making his horse whinny in protest. We came to an abrupt halt as well and I watched in confusion as strange emotions passed through his eyes.

"What's wrong Luke?" I asked nudging my horse forward to where he was.

His grip was still tight on the reins and I gently loosened them to put the horse out of its discomfort.

"Valentine," he said slowly looking back the way he had come. His eyes held a far away look and I realised that he must have been feeling something through the parabati bond he shared with Valentine.

"Has something happened to my Father?" Sebastian asked he and Clary looking on worriedly

Luke shook his head and the calm returned to his features although there was a pained look behind his eyes.

"No he's fine," he said in a voice that wavered slightly at the end

Sebastian raised an eyebrow although he decided not to push it. Clary looked like she was about to say something but Sebastian whispered in her ear and she to closed her mouth and looked away.

In front of me Alia had become very alert although she stayed very still and quiet.

"We should keep moving," Luke finally suggested and we all nodded eager to keep going.

Before we set off again I rested a hand against Alia's shoulder and turned her slightly so that our eyes could meet. When they did I noticed that they were blank and almost devoid of life, however just then Alia blinked and when she opened them again the sparkle was back in her eyes.

I frowned, "are you alright?" I asked

Alia nodded, "I'm fine," she assured me, "we should keep going,"

I nodded and spurred the horse forward putting the weird events out of my mind

Once we reached the small cabin nestled between the trees near the border Luke ordered us to unsaddle the horses and to get some rest. We all obeyed and I found myself curled up beside Alia in a narrow bed unable to sleep.

Alia drifted off almost immediately and I turned to stare at the wall my thoughts uneasy.

Something was definitely up with Luke and it was putting the whole group at unease. I wondered what had happened, if the flash of pain in his eyes was anything to go by, it was bad. Those thoughts led me onto what had happened to Alia and I recalled the blank look in her eyes with a shudder. She seemed fine now but I had been noticing subtle changes in all of us for a while now. Of course Clary's steady improvement with runes could have just been normal as could Sebastian and I suddenly having our senses heightened and our strength increase. However whatever was happening to Alia was not normal and I was worried for my little sister. It scared me that something could be happening to her that I couldn't protect her from.

Sighing heavily I turned onto my back and closed my eyes. There was no use worrying about it now and I may as well conserve my strength for tomorrow. With that thought in mind I slowly drifted off and allowed the comforting darkness of dreamless sleep envelop me.

I woke up to the sounds of a barely whispered conversation and cracked my eyes open to see a pacing Luke running a distressed hand through his hair. Sebastian stood in front of him and was talking to Luke in a quiet even tone. Alia was still sleeping in front of me and I carefully extracted myself from the bed shivering in the cold morning. Glancing out the windows of the small cabin I noticed that it was only just after dawn.

"I just don't know what to do," Luke said his voice rising above a whisper and drawing my attention back to the two.

Quietly I padded over to them my sock clad feet silent on the wooden floor.

"Luke you have to calm down and think through the situation logically," Sebastian advised

"What's going on?" I asked as I moved to stand beside Sebastian

"Something happened to Valentine," Sebastian explained quickly

"What happened to him?" I asked looking at Luke whom I noticed for the first time was clutching his left shoulder.

"A seraph blade cut his shoulder most likely," Sebastian supplied again

"And now Luke can't decide if he should stay here and look after us or go and help his parabati," I concluded

Luke looked at me in surprise and I shrugged

"Seemed the most likely thing that you would be worried about," I explained

"There's something else though," Sebastian said with a calculating look in his eyes

"There's nothing else," Luke growled defensively

"If the injury happened this morning then he must be worried about what happened last night while we were riding here," another voice concluded

I turned to see Clary was moving to stand at her brothers side, probably awoken by the rising volume of our conversation.

"Yes although the look in your eyes then was of emotional pain and not physical pain," Alia said appearing at my side her face serious

Luke looked between us and realised that he had just been cornered by a group of children. He laughed quietly and slumped down into a chair resting his head on the table.

"Maybe you guys should be detectives when you grow up and not shadowhunters," he suggested with a forced smile

I smiled despite myself at that and glanced at Sebastian who stood beside me his face still contemplative.

"Joking aside we still need to figure out what we're going to do," Sebastian said

Luke nodded and the group became somber again

"I can't just leave you guys," Luke said, "I promised Valentine that I would keep you all safe,"

Sebastian frowned, "I can look after the others if you want to go to your parabati," he said, "I know where the house is and how to get inside,"

Luke's eyebrows rose, "you do?" he asked

Sebastian nodded, "we're not far now and I'm sure we can look after ourselves,"

Luke looked wary of the offer his face lost deep in thought. If anything he looked more torn than before. After a long moment he looked up his face grim

"No," he said, "I promised Valentine that I would look after you and so that's what I'll do,"

The room was silent for a long moment and I felt myself frowning. I honestly expected Luke to go running to Valentine's side. Maybe the situation wasn't as bad as we first thought.

"Go and get ready we'll leave in five," Luke said wearily

I nodded and took Alia's hand pulling her away from the group.

She followed me quietly and I noticed that her eyes had gone blank

"Alia?" I asked putting a hand on her shoulder and shaking it gently, recognising the blank look from yesterday

"Luke's scared for his parabati's life," she said in a soft, far away sounding voice, "he wants to go to his side but he feels he cannot betray Valentine's trust by leaving us,"

"What are you talking about Alia?" I asked feeling fear rising in me. Alia was scary when she looked like this and I didn't like it.

She smiled a little and blinked life returned to her eyes

"What's wrong?" she asked looking closely at my face

"Nothing," I said quickly shaking my head and turning away from her

I could feel Alia's questioning look burning into my back but I ignored it and instead began to pull on my boots.

"You should get ready to go," I told her and after a moments hesitation Alia began to put on her own boots.

"Are you okay?" she asked after a long moment

This time I turned to her and smiled, "I'm fine," I said in a reassuring voice

Alia looked uncertain for a moment before nodding and turning away

"Okay," was all she said

Hi guys I wrote this chapter up pretty quickly because I wanted to get it done for Christmas :) I hope you enjoyed it and I would really appreciate it if you reviewed and told me what you think. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far, it was really exciting getting your comments :P


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own the mortal instruments

Isabelle's P.O.V

I huddled against the wall holding Max tightly against my chest. My arms ached dully but I didn't want to let him go. The shadowhunter who was standing beside me kept shooting me piercing looks and I felt my eyes drift to the ground.

The wobbly voice of my brother made my eyes jerk back up again and my eyes filled with angry tears as I watched Alec kneeling on the stage his arms shaking with the effort of holding up the mortal sword. What right did the Clave have to interrogate my brother like that? My sweet, kind, amazing brother who would never hurt anybody. He was just a child, only a little older than me but they were still treating him like he had played some great roll in the battle at the Guard. I glared at the ground and bit my tongue not trusting myself to be able to keep these thoughts in my head. It would only be worse for us if I shared my true feelings.

"Tell us again," Imogen demanded, "what did you know of Valentine's plan?"

Alec's eyes filled with tears, "we weren't told anything," he cried his voice tired and strained, "the adults kept to themselves and never told us anything. The only thing we knew was that something big was going to happen. We could all feel the tension and stress in the manor,"

Imogen pursed her lips but seemed to accept that he was telling the truth.

"Fine," she snapped her voice strained and highly strung, "where are Luke, Valentine, his children and the Herondale children?"

"I don't know," Alec responded, "the last we saw of the others was when we were all in Sebastian's room. Valentine told us to go to the library where our parents were waiting for us and so we left. We didn't know what he wanted to talk to the other about and as soon as we reached the library we were taken straight home," he explained

Imogen glared at the wall in obvious frustration and Malachi sighed

"Thank you Alexander," he said walking forward and gently taking the sword from Alec's hands patting him gently on the back and whispering something in his ear.

Alec slumped as soon as the sword was taken from his hands and Malachi helped him to his feet. Slowly Alec stood and made his way on unsteady legs off the stage and out of the scrutinising gazes of the other shadowhunters.

As soon as he was off the stage I raced forward and embraced him tightly my tears spilling over my cheeks

"Are you okay?" I asked pulling back to look him over my eyes finally meeting his.

"I'm fine," he replied in a quiet but soothing voice.

Nodding slowly I glanced over my shoulder to see that the shadowhunter who had been guarding me was standing behind us, staring disapprovingly down her nose at us.

I shrunk back into Alec at her intimidating stare and he put a reassuring arm around my shoulders.

"You three will have to stay at the Guard tonight," she said in an emotionless tone

Alec nodded, "okay," he said taking my shoulders and gently pushing me towards the imposing woman.

I wanted to protest and say that we should go and find Mum and Dad but I could tell that he was tired and stressed and so I didn't fight him. Instead I followed along my anger still burning fiercely in my stomach.

The Clave had no right to treat us like this and I hated it but knew there was nothing I could do. As if reading my mind Alec pulled me closer and whispered in my ear

"Don't worry I'm fine and you and Max will be to. I won't let them hurt you,"

I smiled at that and let that thought comfort and calm me. Alec would always protect me and as long as he was with me no one would be able to hurt us, not even the Clave. The thought quelled my anger although it didn't completely disappear. I still couldn't forgive the Clave for interrogating Alec and hurting my parents. The thought of my Mum and Dad brought fresh tears to my mind and I thought back to the last time I had seen them.

They had been dressed in their black shadowhunter gear, weapons strapped to their belts and bows across their backs. My Mum had bent down and stroked my hair pulling me into a tight hung

"Stay in the house okay?" she instructed her voice firm, "don't let anyone in not even if they're from the Clave. Look after your brothers and don't do anything silly. We'll be back for you, I promise you that, but for now you just have to hang on okay?"

I had nodded my head stiffy not sure what was happening but feeling dread well up in my chest

"We'll come back for you, we will. Nothing will happen to you," Mum repeated as if she was trying to reassure herself just as much as me

"I know you will," I replied hugging her tightly

I knew she smiled then, even though I couldn't see her face I could hear it in her voice.

"I love you," she said softly

"I love you to Mum," I had replied

I was jerked from my memories by the scraping of metal across the stone floor and winced. Max stirred from his sleep and I stroked his mop of dark hair to keep him from crying.

While I had been lost in my memories we had been lead into a dark cold corridor lit by witchlight and lined with small cells. I scanned the cells but found that they were all emoty. My throat went dry and I wondered were the other Circle members were.

The shadowhunter woman ushered us inside and I walked in slowly, watching with disbelief as she closed and locked the door.

"I'm sorry about this," she said a trace of emotion, was it remorse? leaking into her voice, "you'll probably only have to stay here for a few days at most but for now I'll bring you some blankets,"

And just like that she turned sharply on her heel and strode off into the darkness

"Wait!" I yelped fear settling in my chest. I ran to the bars but the woman didn't even turn.

Once she had gone I felt Alec appear at my side and place a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry," he said his voice wavering a little, "Mum and Dad will come for us,"

I nodded my head numbly and let him lead me to the small, hard bed. Sitting down I cradled Max in my lap let my tears slip down my face. Confusion and fear filled me and I didn't know what to do. We were being locked up like criminals by the people who were suppose to protect us. We were being shunned for something we didn't do, shunned because our parents were trying to fix this broken government.

Alec sat down beside me and pulled me close. I buried my head into his neck and sobbed openly, big ugly sobs that tore up my throat and made my whole body shake. The whole while Alec rubbed circles in my back.

"What's happening?" I asked although I knew that Alec couldn't give me an answer

"I wish I knew," he replied quietly his voice echoing off the dark, stone walls.

"It seems like the Circle has lost though," he thought aloud "although the rest of the shadowhunters have felt their blow. Our parents didn't go down without a fight,"

I smiled thinking back to the large chamber where Alec had been interrogated. It looked like no shadowhunter had come out of the brush with the Circle without a scrape. However thinking of the wounded shadowhunters brought my thoughts back to my parents. Had they been injured to? Were they… dead? My body trembled at the thought and I found myself looking up into Alec's uneasy blue eyes

"Do you think they're alright?" I hiccuped my voice wavering

"I don't know," Alec replied honestly, "but they did say that they would come back for us right?"

I nodded my head as I remembered my Mum's words.

Take care of your brothers.

Pulling myself together I wiped the tears from my face and gently set Max down on the bed. I knew that Alec couldn't do this all alone, I had to be strong for him. Finding new resolve I smiled at my brother.

"They'll come for us," I said my voice unwavering

Alec smiled at that and hugged me tightly, "Thank you Isabelle," he said quietly

Now that I had calmed down my fatigue was really starting to set in and I could feel my eyelids drooping. Crawling beneath the thin cover I pulled it up around myself and Max. A moment later Alec joined me and together the three of us huddled on the bed until sleep claimed us.

My last thought before unconsciousness swept my mind was, I hope the others are okay.

Alia's P.O.V

I sat on a large bed, Clary, Sebastian and Jace all stretched out around me. The house Luke had taken us to was large and interdimensional? I didn't really understand what that meant but I figured it didn't really matter at the moment. As soon as we had arrived Luke had shot off back to Idris and left us alone saying something about Valentine and the Circle. None of us really understood what was going on and it was frustrating all of us, especially Sebastian.

With a growl he jumped up off the bed and began to pace the length of the room scowling at the floor.

We all watched his pacing until Clary stood up slowly approaching him.

"Sebastian," she said hesitantly reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder

"What," he all but yelled spinning around to pin his sister with a glare his eyes flashing black for the briefest moment.

Clary flinched back and Sebastian's gaze immediately softened

"I'm sorry Clary," he apologised

Clary hesitated before wrapping her arms around her brother in a hug

"Are you okay?" she asked her voice tinged in concern

"I'm fine," he replied honestly, "I'm just frustrated,"

Clary nodded her head and stepped back her eyes thoughtful

"Why don't we go and find some food?" she asked turning back to the rest of our group

I nodded enthusiastically and Clary smiled grabbing my hand

"Lets go then," she said pulling me from the room.

I smiled brightly and followed Clary from the room pausing in the corridor trying to remember which way the kitchen was

"Left," a voice instructed from behind us.

I threw a grin at my brother from over my shoulder and pulled Clary down the corridor which eventually led out into a large sitting room. Moving into the kitchen I pulled open the fridge and sighed heavily. The fridge was almost empty and contained nothing but a carton of expired milk and orange juice. Clary crinkled her nose at the milk and picked it up to go and tip it down the sink. I picked out the juice and checked the expiry date relieved when I found that it still had a few months in it.

Sebastian snorted from behind me and I turned to see him rooting through some of the draws

"You'd think they'd keep this place better stocked," he muttered under his breath

Clary laughed and pulled open another cupboard door her smile widening as she produced a pack of chocolate biscuits

"Look,"she said holding the biscuits up triumphantly

Jace grinned and I pulled the massive bottle of juice out of the fridge

"Looks like it's juice and biscuits for dinner," I said with a gleeful smile

Jace grinned and took the heavy bottle from my hands

"I think I found some cups in the draw over there," he said nodding his head in the direction of a set of draws.

"Okay," I replied moving towards them and opening the first one. I found it stacked with plates and cups and I carefully extracted a plate balancing four cups on top of it.

Taking them over to the large dining room table I put the down and Clary emptied the chocolate biscuits onto the plate.

I pulled myself up into a chair beside Clary and helped myself to a chocolate biscuit

"These are good," I said with a large smile my mouth still full of biscuit

Clary giggled and Jace rolled his eyes leaning over the table to close my mouth

"Don't talk with a mouthful of food," he chided me

"You sound like my grandmother," Sebastian said with a roll of his eyes

Jace put a hand on his head as if protecting his hair

"Whenever I see her she always tells me to get a haircut," he pouted

"Your hair is pretty long," I pointed out earning myself a glare

Clary giggled and covered her mouth to hide her smile

Jace rolled his eyes and handed Clary a cup of juice

"Here," he said

Clary smiled at him and accepted the juice

"Thanks Jace," she said with a large smile

Jace glanced away his cheeks colouring ever so slightly

"That's alright," he said

Sebastia burst out laughing and Jace glared at him crossing his arms across his chest childishly.

I grinned at Clary who was looking between the two boys a look of bewilderment on her face and gigged.

"What did I miss," she whined to me confusion evident in her green eyes

Stifling my giggles I shook my head with a cheeky grin

"Nothing, I replied

Clary glared at me and threw her hands up, "you people are impossible," she muttered but she was smiling nonetheless

I accepted a glass of juice from my brother and downed it in between bites of biscuit listening to the playful banter between the other children. Finally we were down to the last biscuit and while Jace and Sebastian argued heatedly over who should get it Clary snuck it off the plate and, putting a finger to her lips broke it in half and handed one piece to me. Grinning I shoved the biscuit in my mouth before the boys noticed and watched as Clary did the same. We shared a grin as a surprised yelp came from Sebastian followed by an indignant shout from Jace

"Who ate the last biscuit!" he yelled

Clary and I burst out laughing and the two boys fixed us with glares

"Sorry," Clary said between giggles even though she didn't sound the least bit sorry

Sebastian huffed and rolled his eyes

"Whatever," he said.

I grinned before yawning widely my cheeks flushing red as everyone looked over at me

Jace smiled and checked his wristwatch

"Come on," he said slipping off his chair and padding towards the hallway, "we should go to bed,"

Nodding in agreement I slipped off my chair and picked up my cup and the plate dumping them in the sink before following Jace out of the room. I heard Sebastian and Clary follow behind me Sebastian muttering something about Jace never cleaning up after himself the whole way. With a smile I sighed contentedly and followed Jace down the corridor my eyelids already sliding shut.

Hey guys sorry for the wait, I've had a pretty hectic New Years.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and I'd appreciate any advice you have. I had a bit of writers block for this chapter and I was really unsure how to approach it so I ended up doing a bit of a skip in time. Albeit it wasn't a very large skip. If you're confused I plan to explain what happened a little better next chapter. I also couldn't remember what the interdimensional house looked like or how to get into it but I was too lazy to look it up -.- Sorry.

Anyway I hope you all had a great Christmas and New Years, please review and I'd really appreciate any information on the inter-dimensional house :)


	8. Chapter 8

Alec's P.O.V

I sat on the bed my back against the wall and my eyes closed. I was tired and confused and I wished that someone would tell me what was going on. Isabelle was nestled into my side with Max curled up in her arms and I felt my fist clench at the thought of them. I said that I would protect them but what could I do? What power did I have? Opening my eyes I waited for them to adjust to the dim cell before looking down at my younger siblings. A small smile tugged the edges of my lips and I felt the warm glow of affection heat my insides. If I couldn't help them I knew that our parents could, they would come for us. They definitely wouldn't abandon us, unless they were dead. The thought made tears spring to my eyes but I hastily blinked them away. They weren't dead and they would come for us. Everything would be alright and things could just go back to the way that they had always been. Looking out of the tiny window in our cell I took comfort in the tiny pinpricks of light that lit up the night sky. My brow creased in thought for a moment and I wondered over how long we had been in this cell. Was this our third night, second, fourth? The days seemed to have blurred together in a slow cycle of eat, sleep and try to pass the time. Sighing I let my head drop onto my chest, my eyes were becoming heavy and I hadn't had a good night's sleep in days. Most of my sleep was short naps but my dreams were always plagued by nightmares.

The tap of footsteps roused me from my thoughts and I sat up a little straighter, straining my ears to catch the sound. As the footsteps grew closer I realised that there were multiple people heading towards our cell, three at least. Hope bloomed in the pit of my stomach but I squashed it not wanting to get my hopes up. However as the soft glow of witchlight appeared the hopeful feeling returned and I found that I did not have the heart to squash it again. It wasn't until now that I realised how tired I was and not just physically. I was emotionally exhausted as well. Black shapes came into view but my vision was still adjusting to the bright light that now flooded the corridor. I heard a soft gasp and my eyes widened as my Mum came into view.

I shot to my feet, completely forgetting about Isabelle and Max who had been asleep on my lap.

"Alec," my Mum said her voice full of relief and a hint of anger?

"Mum," I breathed racing to the bars and hugging her as best as I could.

There was a shuffling sound from behind me and I watched as Isabelle blinked slowly in the witchlight before her eyes became comically wide. Max also stirred and began to cry but a touch from Isabelle quietened him. She raced to the bars beside me with Max in her arms and threw herself into them reaching out with one arm to grab a fistful of our Mum's shirt. It was then that I realised that both of them were crying.

"I'm sorry," she whispered her voice filled with emotion

"Don't apologise," Isabelle admonished her, "you came back for us just like you said,"

There was a shifting sound from the darkness and I realised that my Dad was standing behind my Mum watching the scene with slightly watery eyes.

"Dad," I said my eyes lighting up.

As I embraced him I breathed in his familiar scent letting it reassure me. They were okay, they were both okay. They weren't dead they were here and alive and they were going to make everything better. I felt a massive weight lift off my shoulders and I sagged in my Father's arms letting my tears spill down my cheeks. There was an awkward coughing sound from behind my parents and I finally noticed the last of the people in the corridor. Two shadowhunters stood behind my parents and I noticed one of them as Imogen.

I shrunk back and Dad rose from where he had been crouching before me, coming to his full height.  
>"As touching as this is, we have a schedule to keep," Imogen said in a toneless voice.<p>

Dad glared at her but I saw the relief in the way his shoulders sagged as Imogen opened the cell door.

I grabbed Isabelle's hand and we raced out of the cell embracing our parents properly.

For the first time in a long time I felt safe and it comforted me greatly.

Dad took my hand and pulled me close to his side. I complied happily and leant into him as we walked not wanting to be separated from my parents again.

Finally we stopped and I looked up from examining the floor and found that we stood in front of a large portal. My jaw dropped open as I stared at it in awe and I found a feeling of apprehension begin to grow in the pit of my stomach. I drew myself closer to my Father and I felt him rest a strong hand on my back.

"You are to be transported to New York where you will take care of the Institute there," Imogen said from where she stood in front of the portal, "You are not to come back to Idris,"

I felt my jaw drop open as I stared at her in shock. We weren't allowed to live in Idris anymore? What about our home? What about our friends? I wanted to protest, I didn't want to go to some strange new city. I wanted to stay here, I wanted everything to just go back to the way it was before. It was then that I realised what a childish want that was. Nothing would ever go back to the way it was, this was my new life. Gone were the days when we'd play on the shores of Lake Lynn or sneak around the Manor for Sebastian's silly games. Gone were the day when we'd spend hours training together with the adults.  
>This revelation hit me like a ton of bricks and I would have staggered if it wasn't for Dad's strong hand on my back.<p>

I felt fresh tears prick my eyes but I blinked them away. I had to be strong, for Isabelle, for Max and for my parents. Leaving Idris would be hard for them as well and they would need me to be strong. Pulling myself together I watched as Imogen stepped away from the portal.

"Who wants to go first?" she asked

Slowly Dad disentangled himself from me

"I will," he volunteered stepping forward

Imogen nodded, "you should take one of your children with you," she advised, "we wouldn't want them to get... lost,"

Dad turned and held out his hand to me. I took it and nervously walked to the portal.

"What do I have to do?" I asked

"Just don't let go of my hand," he advised

I nodded and then he was pulling me into the portal. I gripped his hand tightly as we stepped into it and I squeezed my eyes tightly shut gasping as my stomach flipped uncomfortably in my stomach. The feeling intensified and just as I thought I was going to throw up the sensation stopped and my stomach stopped doing little flips. I slowly opened my eyes and found that I was in a massive library. My eyes widened as I took in the large room and I found myself drawing closer to my Dad.

"Where are we?" I asked

"This is the New York Institute," he said moving away from the portal just as my Mum, Isabelle and Max appeared.

They looked around the room with curiosity before moving over to us.

Unsure of what to do I sat down on one of the couches suddenly feeling very weary.

Isabelle sat down beside me and clasped my hand tightly in hers.

After a moment and a long look at each other my parents sat down across from us before they could speak though I opened my mouth.

"Please," I said in a quiet voice, "we deserve to know what happened,"

There was silence for a long moment in which Isabelle's grip tightened on my hand

"Yes you do," Dad finally said

I looked up and found that they were both looking at us gravely

"After we left you in the house the Circle stormed the Gard where many of the shadowhunters were gathered. Valentine lead us into battle but no one knows where he is now. Some people think he abandoned us to be killed and captured but I'm not so sure," Mum began

"There was a big fight and at the end of it there were many casualties on each side," Dad continued, "the remaining Circle members were captured and interrogated before our fates were decided. We were lucky. We have children to look after so our punishment wasn't so harsh but others…" Dad trailed off and the library descended into a dark silence

After a moment my Mother spoke up, "we don't know what happened to Valentine or the other children but shortly after we were captured the manor was burnt to the ground,"

"were they," I began thoughts of my friends rising to my mind

"Your friends were long gone," Mum said, "Valentine took them to safety,"

I felt myself breathe a long sigh of relief. I was glad that my friends were okay.

Suddenly I yawned and all of my weariness seemed to crash back over me.

Mum smiled and stood up balancing Max on her hip

"Lets get you to bed," she said, "it's been a long day,"

Luke's P.O.V

I found Valentine as he was crossing the border into Germany and one look at his ragged appearance confirmed my suspicions. When he saw me I saw his shoulders droop and I felt a massive surge of grief roll through our Parabati link. Riding up to him I touched his shoulder gently

"Valentine," I said softly but he just shook his head

"Not here," he said

Nodding my head I followed him as he led me away from the border, we traveled for a long time until Valentine stopped at the edge of a large forest. Dismounting he stumbled to the ground and sat on a fallen tree trunk.

Dismounting swiftly I joined him and handed him a canteen.

He took a long swig and smiled gratefully as the alcohol burned down his throat.

"Jocelyn's dead," he finally said, his voice quiet and barely audible

There was a long silence as my mind tried to grasp what Valentine had just said. Jocelyn was dead? Gone? I felt grief rip through my chest and I knew that this time it was my own. I had loved Jocelyn like my own sister and maybe as something else but I would never admit that to anyone, not even myself. It seemed impossible that she could be gone, someone that strong, that stubborn, so full of life. How could this have happened.

As if reading my mind Valentine said

"Someone burnt the manor down and trapped her inside along with my parents," he said

I felt my mind go numb and I put my head in my hands

"Who?" I asked my voice barely a whisper

"I don't know," Valentine said his voice catching.

Looking up I saw that his hand was clenched in a fist on his knee. A new emotion rolled through our link and it took me a moment to identify it. Guilt?

"This isn't your fault," I said resting a hand on his shoulder, "there was nothing you could have done,"

Valentine nodded numbly his eyes blank and staring off into space.

Gently I took the canteen from his hands and set it down on the ground

"Listen to me," I said and this time he looked at me, truly looked at me.

The grief, anger and guilt that was evident in his eyes made me falter for a moment

"You did everything that you could," I finally said, "there was nothing more that you could have done,"

"It was never enough," he said his anger winning out as he stood and slammed his fist against a tree tears streaming down his face

"Valentine," I began but he cut me off

"What did I do wrong?!" he yelled, "I wanted to help people, I wanted to fix this broken society that we live in! But all I did was lose everything that I had. I lost the Circle, my parents, my wife,"

His voice caught and I watched in amazement as he broke down into tears, massive sobs tearing through him and wracking his whole body

"What should I have done?" he asked as he fell to his knees, "what did I do wrong?"

I watched on unsure of how to handle this. Valentine was never one to be ruled by his emotions, he never let what he was feeling show through but he was a complete wreck now. His grief was so overwhelming it was beginning to affect me as well.

Moving carefully as if I was approaching a wild animal I laid a hand on his shoulder. To my surprise Valentine leant into my touch and grasped my hand in an iron grip. He sobbed for a long time and I stood there staring down at him until he calmed. There was a long silence until he finally wiped his eyes and he used his grip on my hand to pull himself to his feet. He swayed for a moment before looking up to me and I realised just how terrible he looked. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks gaunt and a thousand new worry lines that had never been there before were etched into his face. He looked every bit as broken as he was.

It was strange, Valentine was always strong, always confident and always had a strong lid on his emotions. To see him like this was disorientating and I found myself completely unsure of what to do. Finally Valentine broke the long silence that had stretched between us.

"I'm sorry," he said, "I know I'm a mess,"

I shook my head vigorously and did something I'd done less than a handful of times before.

I hugged him.

Valentine went as rigid as a board as I pulled him into the embrace but after a long moment he sagged against me.

"I can't believe this is happening," he said and I was relieved to hear that a little humor had creeped into his voice

"It's okay," I reassured his with a grin, "this is totally manly,"

Valentine rolled his eyes and pulled back a small smile on his lips

"Thanks," he said his voice sincere

"Anytime," I replied and in that one word was a promise that I would be with him, no matter what,

Valentine nodded and picked up the canteen I had left on the ground and downed the rest in one gulp.

"We better get going," he said tossing me the now empty canteen, "we have four kids to get back to,"

I groaned and wished that I had brought more alcohol

"I forgot about that,"

End Part 1

So this chapter concludes part one. I have planned to do this story in two parts, part one is obviously the time spent in Idris and the downfall of the Circle. Part two will take place about 8 years later in this story's timeline when the children will now be around 18, 17, 16.

There may be a bit of a time gap between parts one and two as I need to do a bit more planning for part two. I know roughly what is going to happen but it is very rough.

Sorry if some of the characters seemed a little OOC this chapter *coughValentinecough* I hope you don't mind too much :P

Thanks for everyone that has been reading this story, I really appreciate all the reviews, follows and favourites you have given me. It's the best feeling ever when I open my emails and see that someone has favorited, reviewed or followed. You guys make me feel so happy :)

I go back to school in February so I'm hoping to do as much of this as I can before then as I'm not sure how much free time I'll have once school starts.

Other than that thanks for reading and I hope to have more chapters up soon :) :)


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own the mortal instruments

"Head shot!" I yelled elated as my arrow embedded itself deep into a demons forehead causing it to let out a bloodcurdling scream before folding in on itself until there was nothing left of it.

I turned and watched as Isabelle decapitated a demon with her whip and turned to face me with a questioning expression

"Really Simon?" she asked quirking an eyebrow

I grinned and flicked my hair out of my face

"Really," I responded making her roll her eyes.

The sound of footsteps echoing off the alleys walls reached my ears and I turned to see Alec making his way towards us with a glowing seraph blade still in his hand.

"Are we done?" he asked walking past me to stand beside his sister.

Isabelle nodded and her whip curled back around her arm

"I think that's all," she said

Alec nodded and turned on his heel, "we should be going then," he said the glowing of his seraph blade fading and plunging the alleyway back into semi darkness.

I blinked rapidly for a few minutes as my eyes adjusted to the darkness and yelped as I noticed that Isabelle and Alec had both disappeared. Hurrying in the direction they had gone I found them at the mouth of the alley about to turn down an empty street.

"Hey wait up," I panted with a venomous look at Alec's back.

Isabelle shot me an apologetic look and detached herself from her Brother's grip to walk beside me.

"Sorry about that," she said

"It's no problem," I responded feeling my insides warm when she smiled at me

Isabelle nodded and a distant look began to cross her face accompanied by her biting her lower lip in worry.

"What's wrong?" I asked although I had a feeling I knew what her problem was

"Oh the usual," she replied with a long sigh and a worried glance at her Brother's back

"What happened?" I asked keeping my voice low so that Alec wouldn't overhear

Isabelle frowned and I watched as a line appeared between her eyebrows

"I'll tell you later," she finally said

I hesitated and then nodded my head, "okay," I said

A silence fell between us that was neither awkward nor comfortable and I had no idea what to say to break it. Finally deciding to just let it be we continued to walk until a blood curdling scream split the air around us.

Isabelle and I shared a glance and I saw the shock and confusion plain on her face before she took off at a sprint down the road. I opened my mouth to yell something but decided against it and followed after her and Alec who of course had followed his sister without hesitation. Following the two down to the end of the street we skidded around the corner and into a large grassy park. The park was dark and I could just about make out a figure crouching on the grass at the far end of the park

"Hey!" Isabelle called and the figure suddenly straightened.

My brow creased when I saw that they were wearing what appeared to be a cloak with a backpack slung across their shoulders.

Isabelle began to jog forward causing the figure to turn tail and flee. Isabelle broke out into a sprint to chase them but halfway to the trees she tripped over something and was sent sprawling to the ground. It would have looked rather comical if it were not for the seriousness of the situation. Alec was at her side immediately and as I made my way towards the two I saw something that made my heart thud to a stop in my chest. There was a large human sized lump lying on the grass.

I drew closer and gingerly reached out to the lump rolling it over to reveal a girl. I blanched and drew back

"Uh... Isabelle, Alec," I called my voice quivering slightly

"What's wrong?" Isabelle asked turning to face me

"I think you just tripped over a dead body," I said pointing to the prone form at my feet.

Isabelle's face drained of colour as she took in the sight of the girl lying face up on the grass, her glassy eyes staring up at the sky and her body a sickly grey colour.

Slowly Alec moved towards her and looked over her body his breath hitching in surprise

"Not just any girl," he said quietly

"What do you mean?" Isabelle asked her voice shaking ever so slightly

"Look," was all that Alec said as way of explanation.

Lifting up her arm I saw that her hands were no longer hands. Instead fur had sprouted out from her skin and claws had shot from her fingernail making it look more like a paw than anything. The fur continued up her arm and now I realised that her nose was far too long to be normal and was beginning to flatten out into a snout.

"She's a werewolf," I said in a disbelieving voice

Alec nodded and turned back to Isabelle who had managed to regain her composure.

"Are you okay?" Alec asked

Isabelle huffed, "you already asked me that and I already said that I was fine," she responded

Alec rolled his eyes and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips before he became serious again.

"But who, or what, would kill a werewolf?" Alec asked nobody in particular

I frowned, "and a young werewolf at that," I added, "she can't be much older than you, so she's only around eighteen,"

Isabelle frowned and leant forward to closer inspect the body.

I looked away feeling sick as Isabelle checked her for any wounds.

"Help me turn her over again," Isabelle suddenly demanded

I hesitantly crouched down beside Isabelle and together the three of us rolled her over.

Now that I was actually looking I could see that there was a stab wound in her back and that her t-shirt was covered in blood.

"Stabbed in the back," Alec concluded

"So a surprise attack then?" I asked fighting away the nauseating feeling that was rising in my stomach

"Must have been," Alec replied, "after she was stabbed she must have screamed and begun to try and transform to defend herself but died first,"

"But don't werewolves heal really fast?" I asked, "shouldn't she have been able to heal herself or at least hang on until we got here?"

Isabelle frowned, "she was stabbed in the heart," she said, "that would be pretty hard to recover from,"

"Yes but she should still be alive at least, she was only stabbed a few minutes ago after all," Alec argued

"What if they used a silver blade?" I suggested

"I suppose that would make more sense but…" Alec trailed off

"What is it?" Isabelle asked

Pulling a knife from his belt he cut deep into the girls skin

"What are you doing?!" Isabelle cried

"Look," Alec said instead of answering her question.

I looked down at the cut and frowned

"What are we suppose to be looking at?" I asked

"There's no blood," Alec said

Sure enough even though the wound was deep no blood had welled from it.

"But how is that possible. She couldn't have bled out there's not enough blood on the ground or her," Isabelle rationalised

"Plus no one should be able to bleed out that fast," I added

Alec sighed and played with his knife his forehead creased in thought.

"It's strange," he said, "what would someone possibly want with werewolf blood?"

"Wait are you suggesting that someone took her blood?" I asked incredulously

"Well as Isabelle said there isn't enough blood on the ground or her for her to have bled out yet she somehow did," Alec reasoned

"Maybe it was a vampire?" I suggested

"Why would a vampire use a knife?" Isabelle asked, "and there's no bite marks on her neck either,"

I pulled a face

"Since when did you two become professional detectives?" I asked

Isabelle smiled, a real smile, "we use to have a friend who would make us go on spy and detective missions all the time when we were kids," she said her voice slightly detached and lost in memory.

"Was that before you moved to the Institute?" I asked curiously.

Isabelle and Alec never told me anything about their time before coming to the Institute and I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me curious.

"Yeah," Isabelle responded the smile fading and her expression darkening

"What happened?" I asked before I could stop myself

There was silence for a long time and I cringed realising that I probably shouldn't have tried to push my luck.

Isabelle opened her mouth to reply but was cut off by an enraged scream that jolted us all to our feet.  
>A few meters away stood a tall boy his body silhouetted by the streetlamps.<p>

"What have you done to Maia?!" he yelled and I could hear the raw emotion in his voice as he yelled.

Instinctively we all took a step back revealing Maia's dead body to the boy and the knife still in Alec's hand.

We were all silent for a long moment and I watched as the shock on his turned to rage and the boy let out another howl

Isabelle was the first to respond again and stepped forward her eyes frantic

"Wait we didn't hurt her!" she yelled

However it was too late and I watched in shock as the boy transformed into his wolf form and lept forward knocking Isabelle to the ground. He stood over her with its claws dug into her shoulders and as he lunged for her neck I fumbled for my bow and Alec for his Seraph blade but I knew that we wouldn't reach her in time. Suddenly the werewolf stopped mid motion and let out a pained howl its body stiffening. A moment later it stumbled off Isabelle his movement slow and sloppy like he was intoxicated until the werewolf finally collapsed. I dropped to my knees shock making my mind go numb as I tried to process what had just happened. Was the werewolf dead? Who was he? How had he died? I knew for a fact that Alec hadn't killed him and I sure as hell hadn't. I found my thoughts skipping back to when we had first entered the park. That figure? Who were they? Had they helped us? No impossible. That person, whoever they were, was long gone and wouldn't have been around to help us. The werewolf whimpered and I was dragged out of my reverie. He was still alive. The werewolf had mostly transformed back now and I could see that he was a young man probably only a few years older than me. Blood covered his face and his long, dark hair was matted and stained red. A blade was embedded almost to the hilt in his forehead and his hand rose weakly to claw at the hilt.

"Hey stay with me," Isabelle said her voice shaking as she leant over the boy

He looked at her with unseeing eyes and he dropped his hands from the hilt as tears welled in his eyes

"Maia," he whispered his voice weak and croaky, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything,"

There was a long thick silence in which the boy wept until his eyelids fluttered closed and his body went completely slack.

Once he had fallen still I realised that Isabelle was crying silently. Alec gently wrapped his arms around her body and she cried into his shoulder.

Turning away from them I looked back at the werewolf boy and crawled over to him. Blood was welling around his head and there were streaks through the blood on his face from his tears. Reaching out a shaking hand I touched his cooling skin and felt for a pulse. When I found none I took a long deep breath and moved my hand up to the hilt of the blade that was embedded in his head. Grasping it tightly I yanked but the blade didn't budge an inch. Closing my eyes to keep the nausea at bay I rested a hand against his forehead and pushed down on it while pulling the blade up. It rose a few centimeters and I sat back panting before pulling it again. After what felt like a lifetime I finally got the blade free. I immediately looked away so that I would have to see the gaping hole in his forehead and instead wiped the blood on the blade off on his shirt silently apologising the whole time.

The blade itself was beautiful with a worn leather handle and a razor sharp blade which was decorated with patterns of stars. Frowning I tried to remember where I had seen the symbol before but my mind came up blank.

"Simon," a soft voice said from behind me.

I jumped in surprise and turned to see Isabelle sitting behind me with her hand on my shoulder.

"What are you doing?" she asked

"Well I was trying to get some clues as to who killed him so I took the knife out of his…" I trailed off as bile rose in my throat

"I took the knife out of his head," I said weakly

Isabelle looked like she might be sick but Alec held out his hand

"Let me see," he said

I hesitated for a short moment before handing the blade over, maybe he would know what the stars meant.

I held it out to him hilt first and he took it in his hands inspecting the blade. His breath caught in an audible gasp and his body went completely still.

"Isabelle," he said his voice deathly quiet

"What is it?" she asked crawling over to him and peering at the blade. After a moment she too stilled and one word tumbled from her lips so quietly I almost missed it.

"Morgenstern," she said with a small smile on her voice

Yay I was really worried that I was never going to get this chapter out but it's finally done :) I've been having some serious writers block for part 2 but I think I know what I'm doing now.

So can you guess who their mystery saviour was? Or why Maia was bled out? Or who the cloaked figure was? Did I make the answers too obvious or not obvious enough? Also what do you guys think about Simon? Should we keep him or write him out? I couldn't decide so I stuck him in this chapter to see what you guys thought of him. If we do keep him he'l most likely be a shadowhunter not a vampire.

Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed feel free to leave a review :)


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